In defence of those of us still watching Made in Chelsea

Welcome to Made in Chelsea anonymous. My name is Hayley and I am still watching Made in Chelsea. What’s your story? 

15 years. 382 episodes. 32 seasons. Still going strong. And I’m here to say it’s no longer taboo to say you still love MIC. I’m ripping the bandaid off, making the confession, freeing myself so others can. I love Made in Chelsea. I love how terrible it is. I love the cast. Hell, I quite enjoy watching Sam Prince! 

I have watched Made in Chelsea from the start, and I still remember the feeling when a teaser dropped and you could see it was a dinner party, and you knew someone was going to get a new one ripped for them that night. Spencer was a menace. Francis Boulle was one of the funniest people I’ve ever had the honour of witnessing. The friendships were real. The fallouts even more so.

“Don’t f*cking open your f*cking fat f*cking mouth you fat f*cking turkey,” is one of the best things someone has ever said unscripted. 

I’m no means trying to say that MIC is comparable to how it was back in the day. But, this new era of Chelsea is fun, self-aware, and orchestrated as hell. I bloody love it. 

via E4

‘The cast members just aren’t good anymore!’ 

If Made in Chelsea was an office, it would be investigated by HR for the suspicious level of staff turnover. Some of the people I can’t name, and others I can’t recall a single thing about them, other than their name. 

Every single new season of Made in Chelsea is met with the same response: We miss the old cast. Yes, of course we do. But did any one of us tune in to watch Beyond Chelsea with the cast coming back married off with children? No. Absolutely none of us did. It was a huge flop, because the old cast members are completely different people now. 

I’ve learned to embrace the new. It’s like a different show. Stop comparing MIC to the first few seasons, and start seeing it as a different era. A lot of the stuff they get up to now is insufferable, sure, but hate-watching TV is a wonderful pastime. 

I’d love a big-fat uni night out with Chuggs. I want to stop at Jazz’s incredible apartment and have a bestie who looks out for me as much as Jules does her. Sam Vanderpump has raised awareness immeasurably by sharing his health journey, and that’s all while beefing Tristan. Bringing Habibi – of Temps’ cooking TikToks fame – into the show this year was like the addition of a celeb for me.

Yes, it’s probably ‘scripted’ but I’ve never cared less

A lot of the recent criticism of Made in Chelsea is that it feels scripted, and nothing about the drama is real anymore. Everyone is saying that as though we don’t all love a bit of producer involvement.

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Of course, reality TV creators will always say their shows are authentic, and nobody in the cast is told what to do, or say.MIC? Marketed as “structured reality”. Keeping it real.

If the producers are going to have their wicked way and make scenes 10 times more dramatic, re-film when someone says something good so that we get the best angle of it, or just happen to make Sam Prince turn up in the Prince Albert when something’s going down that he has no business being involved in: I’m in. 

I couldn’t agree more

Two words: Sam. Prince. 

As for Sam Prince, what a deliciously terrible man. He is havoc. He is chaos. He knows it. That man walks into a room and the best five minutes of TV will always follow. Do I think his actions are questionable at best and punishable by jail time at worst? Perhaps. Would I watch an entire spin-off just about him? Absolutely. 

Get yourself on Made in Chelsea TikTok

via E4

If you needed any more proof that we’re in a different era of Made in Chelsea, you need to start watching TikTok creators who talk about the show. It’s refreshing, honestly.

I do think most of the creators are severely younger than I am, and may not have been around for 15 years of the show – but that helps. They talk about the episodes like it’s the best piece of television ever created. And after a while, you start to agree with them. That sounds a bit culty, but I promise, we’re all good. 

So, I’ll see you guys next Monday night?

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